Iraqi Kurdistan parliamentary election, 2018

Iraqi Kurdistan general election, 2018

30 September 2018
Total of 111 seats of the Kurdistan National Assembly 56 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	57.3%[1]
First party Second party   Leader Nechirvan Barzani Kosrat Rasul Ali Party KDP PUK Last election 38 18 Seats won 45 21 Seat change 7 3 Popular vote 544,380 253,200 Percentage 43.6% 20.3%
Prime Minister before election Nechirvan Barzani KDP Elected Prime Minister TBD

Iraqi Kurdistan
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Iraqi Kurdistan
National symbols Anthem Flag
Referendums Independence poll, 2005 Independence poll, 2017 Kirkuk status (planned)
Government Presidency Council President Massoud Barzani Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani
Parliament Speaker Members
Recent elections Presidential: 1992 2009 Parliamentary: 2009 2013 General: 2018
Political parties Democratic Party (KDP) Patriotic Union (PUK) Movement for Change (Gorran) Islamic Union (KIU)
Administrative divisions Silemani (Sulaymaniyah) Dohuk Hawler (Arbil) Disputed Nineveh Kirkuk Diyala
Foreign relations Diplomatic missions of Iraqi Kurdistan to Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi–Kurdish conflict Kurdish nationalism
Other countries Atlas

Parliamentary elections took place in Iraqi Kurdistan on 30 September 2018 to elect Parliament.^[2] They were earlier scheduled for 1 November 2017, but were postponed by eight months.^[3]

Background

Poster for the elections of the Parliament of the Iraqi Kurdistan general election, 2018

Following the end of the Gulf War in 1991, a civil war, mainly between the Erbil and Dohuk-based Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Sulaymaniyah-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led to the establishment of two separate Kurdish regional governments. Following the reconciliation and a power-sharing agreement between KDP and PUK, and Parliamentary elections in 2005, a unified Kurdistan Regional Government was created. The joint KDP–PUK faction Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan assumed power and formed a government that was headed by Nechervan Barzani (KDP; 2006–09) and Barham Salih (PUK; 2009–12).

When former PUK official Nawshirwan Mustafa broke away to form the new Movement for Change (Gorran) party, the new party primarily hurt PUK's electoral support in the 2009 parliamentary elections. The KDP–PUK alliance, now renamed Kurdistan List, formed a new government headed by Nechervan Barzani.

Presidential elections were due to coincide with parliamentary elections in 2013. However, in the months leading to the elections the parliament extended Massoud Barzani’s term for another two years.^[4] When the parliamentary elections were held, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ran on separate lists for the first time since 1992. With its traditionally strong backing in Dohuk and Erbil provinces, the KDP managed to expand its plurality, while falling short of an outright majority. PUK suffered from internal conflicts during the absence of its leader Jalal Talabani, who was recovering from a stroke, and from strong competition by the Movement for Change (Gorran), which established itself as the strongest party in Sulaymaniyah, previously a major stronghold of PUK.^[5]

The provincial elections were delayed until November, and then again to 2014, when they were held in conjunction with the Iraqi parliamentary election.

In 2015, as Barzani's term was due to expire, debates continued as to whether it should be extended further, with supporters citing the Kurdish fight against ISIS and the need for stability in the Kurdish regional government. Others have expressed concern that a continued extension of Barzani's term could lead to a President for Life scenario.^[6] Both Kurdish politicians and observers in the area worry that the polarizing debate over the presidency will destabilize Kurdish democracy and weaken the region in its fight against the Islamic State.^[7] In July 2016, Barzani announced that he would not seek another term as president.^[8] The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament on 24 October 2017 announced that the elections for the presidency and the parliament had been delayed by eight months. The decision was made after the electoral commission stated that the political parties had failed to register their candidates amidst the regional crisis.^[3]

Parties participating in election

21 parties registered for Kurdistan's parliamentary elections:^[9]

1. Coalition for Democracy and Justice (Barham Salih)
2. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
3. Turkmen Development Party
4. Turkmen Democratic Movement in Kurdistan
5. Change Movement (Gorran)
6. Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU)
7. Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa)
8. Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party
9. Individual Armenian Political Entity (Aram Birzo Hamo)
10. Individual Armenian Political Entity (Obar Sipan Gharib)
11. Turkmen Reform Party
12. Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal)
13. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
14. Yezidi Democratic Party
15. Kurdistan Toilers Party
16. Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party
17. Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council
18. Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq
19. New Generation Movement
20. Kurdistan Conservative Party
21. Kurdistan Workers and Toilers Party

Notable participating entities

Results

A ballot paper for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Results[10]
Political party	2018			2013	Change
	Votes	%	Seats	Seats	Seats +/−
Kurdistan Democratic Party	738,698	7001456000000000000♠45.6%	45	38	7
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan	343,883	7001212000000000000♠21.2%	21	18	3
Gorran Movement	195,553	7001121000000000000♠12.1%	12	24	12
New Generation Movement	120,324	7000740000000000000♠7.4%	8	New	8
Kurdistan Islamic Group	113,928	7000700000000000000♠7%	7	6	1
Kurdistan Islamic Union	83,562	7000520000000000000♠5.2%	5	11	6
Sardam alliance (coalition consisting of Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, Democratic National Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Toilers' Party)	16,895	7000100000000000000♠1%	1	2	1
Freedom List (Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq)	8,239	6999500000000000000♠0.5%	1	1
Total	1,621,082	7001959000000000000♠95.9% counted	100	100	1
Turkmen minority reserved seats[11]
Turkmen Development List (Turkmen Reform List)	101	7001682000000000000♠68.2%	2	2
Erbil Turkmen				1
Turkmen Change and Renewal				1
Turkmen Reform Party			2	0	2
Iraqi Turkmen Front	47	7001318000000000000♠31.8%	1	1
Turkmen Democratic Movement				3
Total	'	'	8	8
Assyrian minority reserved seats[11]
National Union Coalition	3,318	7001461000000000000♠46.1%	3	New	3
Assyrian Democratic Movement	2,049	7001285000000000000♠28.5%	1	2	1
Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council	1,652	7001230000000000000♠23%	1	2	1
Sons of Mesopotamia (Abnaolnahrain List)	49	6999700000000000000♠0.7%	0	1	1
Democratic Christian List	126	7000180000000000000♠1.8%	0	New	–
Total	'	'	5	5
Armenian minority reserved seat
Berunt Nissan Markos (Irwant Nissan Marcos)				1
Total	'	'	1	1
Overall total	1,689,665	100%	111	111
Registered voters/turnout
3,085,461[12]					57.3%[1]

Dohuk governorate

Results
Party		Total votes[11]	%	%+/−
	Kurdistan Democratic Party	314,462	7001765000000000000♠76.5%	6.5%
	Kurdistan Islamic Union	31,570	7000770000000000000♠7.7%	5.1%
	Patriotic Union of Kurdistan	25,088	7000610000000000000♠6.1%	0.4%
	New Generation Movement	15,399	7000370000000000000♠3.7%	New
	Gorran Movement	6,265	7000150000000000000♠1.5%	1.4%
	Kurdistan Islamic Group	3,929	7000100000000000000♠1%	0.1%
	National Union Coalition	3,318	6999800000000000000♠0.8%	New
	Assyrian Democratic Movement	2,049	6999500000000000000♠0.5%
	Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council	1,652	6999400000000000000♠0.4%
	Sardam alliance	1,533	6999400000000000000♠0.4%	New
	Freedom List	1,308	6999300000000000000♠0.3%	–
	Other parties	4,332	7000110000000000000♠1.1%	–
Total		410,905	100%

References